Page 28 of The Summer Island Swap
‘What happened?’ she asked as Rick took his bottle. Gratitude washed over me as he walked away without saying anything.
‘Nothing. I just wasn’t drinking enough.’ I stood up and swiped with my machete. ‘See. I’m stronger than ever.’
She shook her finger at me playfully.
‘Sarah Sterling. You really are a sly one, pretending to faint, to get Rick’s attention. To be honest, I wasn’t ever convinced you’d suddenly become converted to the cause of conservation. But a crush on Rick? You know I’ve had my suspicions. And who could blame you? A holiday romance? That’s just what you need after some of the losers you’ve dated.’
‘No!’
Her face dropped.
Ididwant Amy to believe I wanted to stay – and that I was really able to cope with the outdoors challenges. I sighed to myself. Perhaps this was the only way. ‘Oh… okay… rumbled – I was hiding the truth. But that’s because it’s just a silly crush – so there’s no need to tell anyone else.’
‘Oh Sarah, I’m so happy for you. He seems lovely – and genuinely concerned about your welfare. He’s even given you his hat!’
‘Well, he’s very impressed with howyouare doing.’
‘He is?’
‘Oh, definitely.’
‘I know this is only the second day but this trip is already everything I dreamed of. I’ve spotted birds and insects I recognise and Jackie’s been talking to me about some of the problems the zoo animals have. I was able to make a few suggestions, based on things I’ve picked up at the vet’s.’
‘You’ve always had a natural ability when it comes to understanding and helping animals. Like that time you thought Nelly was off colour and it turned out she had a urinary tract infection. You just sensed it.’
‘Anyone could have,’ she mumbled.
I held her arm. ‘No. I didn’t. Your talent is obvious. Since we arrived Rick has clearly been impressed by your knowledgeable comments.’
Her face shone as she went back to her strip.
I started to cut the bushes and long grass again, determined to show I was just as capable as anyone else. Rick came back over, didn’t say a word and passed me his bottle. I glugged from it again, before carrying on. I almost decapitated a frog and managed not to scream when a beetle with scarily long antennae scuttled over my wrist. I scratched my arms on prickly branches and my lovely new trainers became covered in mud.
All of that was nothing compared to the headache that banged and the painful blisters now covering my hands to match the ones forming on my feet. In a daze I walked back to camp with Jonas. He was exhausted too, his damp T-shirt sticking to his chest.
Gratefully we headed into the canteen and downed large glasses of cold water. I couldn’t wait for breakfast except that when the Malik appeared at the serving hatch to announce it was served, the meal turned out to be the awful fish soup we’d heard about.
‘This is a joke,nein?’ muttered Jonas who sat next to me.
‘If it is, I don’t think much to Caribbean humour.’ Reluctantly I got up to fetch a bowlful and did my best to sound sincere as I thanked Malik. Everyone else tucked in, talking about how great it was to try indigenous dishes. Jonas and I swapped looks that said we’d rather be eaten alive by midges. I stared at the slosh – the slimy white lumps and small black bean spheres that resembled fish eyes. A cat wandered into the canteen. Without anyone else seeing I put our two bowls on the floor. The contents disappeared in minutes.
My only sustenance until lunchtime would be another piece of fruit. Amy and Helga were too busy comparing the best machete techniques, to chastise their siblings’ pickiness. Not that I’d agree that we were being fussy. Soup for breakfast? What sort of parallel universe was this? Maybe lunch would be muesli.
Rick stood up and knocked a spoon against his mug. ‘Great work this morning. Clearly the universe has sent a fantastic bunch of people to Seagrass Island.’
Smiles spread around the room.
‘You’ve a couple of hours to relax now, before lunch. Once you feel reinvigorated, I suggest you check out the laundry area that’s at the far end, by the last cluster of shacks. You’ll find large sinks with running cold water, detergent, a mangle and lines to hang your clothes on. Before you leave here, take a look at the blue rota on the wall.’ He pointed to the back of the room. ‘Some of you are rostered in for the turtle egg collection trip tonight.’
‘You and me are going. And Benedikt,’ said Amy, eyes shining.
Phew. Rick had kept me on. It was a matter of self-pride now. I was surprised that Jonas seemed genuinely disappointed – although he wasn’t happy to see that he and I had been rostered on as the first to clean out the compost toilets.
I went to leave and passed Rick.
‘I’ve done as you said and kept you on the turtle trip,’ he said. ‘But if you’re feeling at all woozy before then, please do yourself and the team a favour and pull out. Cleaning the toilets will give you a good idea of exactly how well you are.’
Feeling utterly exhausted and longing for a dip in a lagoon, with iced lattes on tap, I simply nodded and went back to my shack where I could pull the bed covers over my face and…
